https://bycommonconsent.com/2020/08/23/ ... expertise/
In a rather poetical and ironic twist, Gee receives a scathing book review, and by a non-tenured professor no less.
Kevin Shafer, Associate Professor of Sociology at BYU, begins his brief essay with this quote by Dallin H. Oaks:
Then, Shafer introduces Saving Faith and its author, "Egyptologist John Gee."In October 2018, President Dallin H. Oaks cautioned that “expertise in one field should not be taken as expertise on truth in other subjects.”
Shafer doesn't belabor his points. He raises two problematic issues with Gee's book and explains why "they are not based in science or current church statements on sexuality." Ouch and double ouch.Professor Gee’s lack of expertise in these areas is may have led him to make errors that lead to problematic claims that are not born out by research.
The issues raised relate to hazardous interpretations of data related to child abuse victims and how childhood experiences contribute to adult perpetrators.
What Shafer points out is eerily similar to the Ritner rebuke about abuse of scholarship. Shafer takes issue with Gee's utilization of dubious research articles to support his assertions about causality between homosexuality and childhood trama -- specifically, that homosexuality can be caused by childhood abuse. One of Gee's cited sources (Mayer and McHugh) was based on a meta-analysis in which the authors actually clearly and definitively arrived at the OPPOSITE conclusion as Gee's interpretation, "“sexual abuse does not cause individuals to become gay, lesbian, or bisexual."
Shafer caps his concern about Gee's potentially harmful perpetuation of this false causality thus:
Shafer also raises objection to Gee's approach to the assertion that "victims of sexual abuse deserve compassion and assistance. They also deserve special care because they are more likely to become sexual abusers of children." In short, the data is complicated and more rigorous studies with careful control groups actually appear to disprove the notion, finding "no relationship between victimization and abusing in American fathers." Shafer wants to avoid any minimization about "the evils of child abuse", but the concern Shafer raises is again the unintended consequences of perpetuating false sitgmas. In this case, because the false stigma is so strong and appears to discourage men from seeking the help they need.In contrast, Gee relies on a review by an unreputable source that is willfully misinterpreting scholarly findings.
Shafer closes by encouraging Gee to stay in his own swim lane:
Gee's academic record is reaping a poor harvest this month, but you know how the saying goes.Leave Social Science to the Social Scientists
When researchers fail to properly report nuance, make strong claims based on limited reading, and fail to acknowledge the shortcomings of social research, they can cause real harm. In this case, the marginalization of LGBTQ+ individuals can perpetuate the very abuses that Gee shows concern for, given that anti-LGBTQ+ bias appears to be a significant correlate of their victimization. Stigmatizing abuse victims may generate significant psychological, physical, social, and developmental harm. Perhaps we should take President Oaks’ advice to heart—both as scholars and readers.
